#tsumugari

[blue-and-art]

@nexu101 made Kotoko in Nioh 2 and that inspired me to redraw the screencap with Kotoko holding Tsumugari BECAUSE OF COURSE I HAD TO STICK AN OKAMI REFERENCE IN SOMEWHERE.

[curious-illustrator]

More okami art! Some weapon poses and a human ammy I drew a while back :)

[singular-yike]

Would you mind doing an analysis on the Tasouken?

Ah of course! Let's take a closer look at the Ametsukana's magnum opus, the most powerful weapon ever created, the heirloom of a powerful clan and personal treasure of Adagumo no Yaorochi:

Aloof Sword — Tasouken

Name: Tasouken

In Tasouken (蛇叢剣), the characters respectively mean "snake" (蛇 ta), "cluster/gathering" (叢 sou) and "sword" (剣 ken).

"Snake" (蛇) is almost certainly a reference to its original owner, who is based on the monstrous serpent Yamata no Orochi; as well as their current owner, Adagumo no Yaorochi, who belongs to a group of snake-like youkai named orochi.

The second character, "cluster/gathering" (叢), is likely used in reference to one of the sword's alternate names (or rather, false names, according to Yaorochi): "Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" (天叢雲剣), the “Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds”.

Backstory: Distant Past

The Tasouken was forged a long time ago by Yago Ametsukana, and was granted as an heirloom by the heavens to a powerful clan, which had control over several provinces of Ancient Japan.

Jealous and fearful of the clan leader's power, rival clans threw them a party and gave them unusually strong sake. Once they fell asleep drunk, they cut him up into pieces and stole the sword.

Throughout history, many a sword was created based on the Tasouken, and they all, Tasouken included, went by a number of names: Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, Tsumugari-no-Tachi, and so on.

One day, the original Tasouken fell into the ocean, allowing the clan leader's descendant Adagumo no Yaorochi to retrieve it. However, its long time spent under the sea had completely rusted it, and it was but a shadow of its former self.

Mythological & Historical Inspiration

The Tasouken is based on a sword so ancient, we can trace it through history all the way into mythology: The Kusanagi.

Depicted below: An artist's impression of the Kusanagi, not the real thing, as it remains unseen.

Origins in Mythology

Kusanagi's mythological origins lie with the god Susanoo-no-Mikoto.

He was banished from the celestial realm of Takamagahara for being a terrible guest by its ruler, Susanoo's sister the sun goddess Amaterasu. He then wandered the earthly realm, where he came across an old couple and their daughter weeping together.

He asked why they were so distressed and the old man explained that he and his wife used to have eight daughters, but now only the youngest, Kushinadahime, remained.

They explained that the other daughters were taken and eaten by the monstrous eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent Yamata no Orochi (八岐大蛇). In response, Susanoo offered to slay the beast for them in return for Kushinada's hand in marriage.

Susanoo instructed the old couple to brew a saké distilled many times over and to build a gate with eight holes in it, each leading to a saké dish. When Yamata no Orochi arrived, it drank from the dishes and felt drunk asleep, allowing Susanoo to slay it.

Depicted below: Susanoo (cetnre) slaying Yamata-no-Orochi (bottom-right), saving Kushinadahime (top-left)

As Susanoo was cutting one of the serpent's tails, he found within it a sword, offering it up to Amaterasu as an apology, this was the Kusanagi. This story is, of course, very heavily referenced in the Tasouken's own story.

Additionally, the false names given to the Tasouken and its imitations in its official profile are also based on this tale:

In the Kojiki, it is said to be originally named “Tsumukari no Tachi” (都牟刈の大刀), later named "Kusanagi no Tachi" (草那芸の大刀)

In the Nihon Shoki, it is originally named "Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi" (天叢雲剣), the “Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds”

In both, it is later instead called "Kusanagi no Tsurugi" (草薙剣), "Grass-cutting sword" when the hero Yamato Takeru uses it to cut down burning grass in order to save his own life

According to the legends, Amaterasu later grants the sword to her grandson, the god Ninigi-no-Mikoto, to take with him down to earth as its new ruler. Ninigi would later sire the ancestors to the imperial Japanese family.

Ninigi was also granted the mirror Yata no Kagami and the bead Yasakani no Magatama. Along with the sword, they form the three imperial regalia of Japan, symbols of the Emperor's authority over Japan as the divine descendants of Amaterasu.

From Legends to History: The Second Sword

According to the Kogo Shūi, the descendants of the god Ame-no-Mahitotsu-no-Kami, on whom Yago Ametsukana is based, forged another Kusanagi during the reign of the legendary Emperor Sujin.

It is said that this copy's divine might matched that of the original, and that it is kept alongside the Emperors at their palaces in order to protect them. The latter point we do have historical evidence for.

From Legends to History: Enshrinement at the Atsuta Shrine

The original Kusanagi would also appear once last time in the legends as the sword of the hero Yamato Takeru, gifted to him by his aunt, who worked as the saiō shrine maiden at the Ise Grand Shrine, where the sword was kept.

Most notably, Yamato Takeru used the sword to mow down the burning grass around him, which his enemies had lit in an attempt to kill him. This is perhaps where we get the Tasouken's association with mowing things down from.

Depicted below: Yamato Takeru using the Kusanagi to mow down burning grass.

Yamato Takeru would end up leaving the sword with his wife prior to his final expedition, on which he passed away. After this, she brought the sword not back to the Ise Grand Shrine, but established a new shrine where the sword would be enshrined: The Atsuta Shrine.

This reconciles the legends with history, as our earliest records of the Kusanagi is that of it being enshrined at the Atsuta Shrine.

Alleged Losses Throughout History: The Original Kusanagi

The original Kusanagi enshrined at the Atsuta Shrine, according to its official statements, remains safely at the shrine until this very day.

Below: The Atsuta Shrine's prayer hall.

However, the shrine's records also note that the entire shrine had burnt down once, gotten captured by rivalling factions multiple times and that there had been an attempt at stealing the sword.

The last time the sword was officially seen was when the shrine was entirely renovated during the Edo period, under the rule of shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1646-1709), by the priests who took a look at it when renovating the box it was kept in.

In the Meiji era, an imperial messenger was sent to investigate the status of the Kusanagi at the Atsuta Shrine. However, the Chancellor of the Realm at the time, Sanjō Sanetomi, put in an order to cease the investigation right as the box was to be opened.

All these events combine to make the shrine's claims that the very Kusanagi from the legends sit unchanged in the shrine very dubious. However, due to its sacred status, it is never displayed, and the truth remains obscured.

Alleged Losses Throughout History: The Second Kusanagi

The second Kusanagi is said to also have been lost, with tales ranging from theft to forgery to loss at sea explaining how this copy of Kusanagi was lost.

Historians now believe that there were likely multiple swords held to be this second Kusanagi, and is why it is said to have been lost so many times in so many ways.

This, combined with the dubious status of the Kusanagi at the Atsuta Shrine, makes many people believe that the real Kusanagi and its legendarily equal replica had already been long lost, its true whereabouts lost to time.

Most famously, and relevant to us, it is said to have sunk into the sea during the historical Battle of Dan-no-ura (1185), found between the Taira and Minamoto clans over control of the Emperor.

In the battle, the Taira were cornered by the Minamoto, upon which the Taira attempted to throw the imperial regalia into the sea to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.

This event is the very one referenced in the Tasouken's retrieval by Yaorochi. Now that the Tasouken's history is recounted, we can finally take a look at the future Len'en had painted for it.

The Earthen Miraculous Sword

Now in Mugenri, Yaorochi came across a replica of the Tasouken made of clay. To revive the sword, they tricked Sukune Katano, the replica's creator, into giving them the replica, and into helping them transfer the Tasouken's soul into the replica.

They had Sukune build a giant ritual chamber, which served as a vessel to ensure that the sword's power would not escape during its transferral into the replica.

Depicted below: The haniwa-shaped ritual chamber in the Unlost Woods, where the transferral ritual took place.

Once preparations were complete, Yaorochi ordered Sukune to stand guard outside and began.

Thrusting both the Tasouken and its clay replica into the ground, Yaorochi began transferring its soul into the replica, upon which the rusted Tasouken immediately crumbled into dust.

The ritual went on for several days, and when it was finally complete, Yaorochi simply drew out the clay sword and lightly tapped the ground with its blade.

The clay crumbled away to reveal the steel of the sword within, the Tasouken has returned. Filled with glee, Yaorochi headed towards the roof to await their "guests".

During the fight, the Tasouken's spirit, perhaps enhanced by the superb vessel Sukune had created, awakened, if only briefly. However, it soon subsided and has not been heard from since.

This was perhaps thanks to a magical inscription inscribed onto it by Adagumo no Saragimaru, designed to suppress its power and prevent it from performing its regular function.

Tasouken Mysteries

So that covers the Tasouken's history, both as a legendary artefact from our reality and its true story as told in Len'en. However, there are still many more mysteries related to it, here I'll mention a few:

Embodiment of the Armchair Theory

In BPoHC, Yago explains that the Tasouken is "incomplete", as the sword's true power cannot be properly wielded by anyone, not human, youkai nor god.

What Saragimaru Knows

Despite being impossible to be properly wielded, even according to its own creator, Saragimaru claims to know how to use it. However, this was never elaborated upon.

Additionally, it's unknown what "regular function" Saragimaru sealed away, although I personally believe it's related to its ability to "sever relations", as Yaorochi seems to be doing quite well with Sukune now.

Curiously, Suzumi Kuzu seems to be searching for information on how to use the Tasouken as well, although to no avail.

And that concludes this post on the Tasouken!

I hope I didn't go too far with the history and mythology, but I think this really highlights how the Adagumo's and the Tasouken's story gets muddled and confused with and throughout history.

Especially in the Tasouken's case, you can really see the impact it had by tracing its mythology and history in both our reality and in Len'en.

Like how Len'en reframes the various names and potential replicas of the Kusanagi as derivatives attempting to reach the original's splendour, when all who knew the original had been lost to time. (Consider revisiting the Tasouken's official profile sometime it's really good)

Anywho, that's enough rambling, this is long enough as is. As usual, I hope you enjoyed~ :)

[lunaokami30]

Prénom : Lucina Surnoms : Lulu, Lucy, Lucinette. Age : Immortel. Sexe : Femelle Meute : La Meute Des Dieux Rang : Alpha Race : Louve Déesse Pays de naissance : Japon

Arme : Tsumugari (Image Epée bleu) : L'arme d'Orochi. Enfoncez puis relâchez pour une attaque puissante. Sept Châtiment (Image Epée rouge) : Un glaive à sept tranchant. Utilise la technique Myriade d'encre. (modifié) Aime : Ses amies , sa famille, l'eau, la nuit étoilé, les balades, protéger le monde, protéger ses proches. Aime pas : Les trahisons, le mensonge, la mort, les rageux, les abandons, qu'on touche à ses amies ou sa famille et les abrutis.

Physique : Elle a le pelage bleu, elle a des démarcations de couleur rouge sur son pelage, les oreilles rouge, l'intérieur des oreille bleu, la truffe blei clair, elle a un trait qui par du front jusqu'au dos en couleur rouge, yeux marron, elle a des boucle d'oreille dore au oreille, les pattes blanche, le bout de sa queue noir telle un pinceau, griffre gris clair et coussinet rose clair.

Caractère : Gentille, méchante ( si on maltraite ses amis ou qu'on l'énerver de trop), curieuse, jalouse, courageuse, patiente, grincheuse, très câline, têtue.

Histoire : Elle est née au Japon est à pas connu ses parents biologiques, elle a une grande sœur du nom de Luna, elle a eu la vie dur par une louve grise qui la traiter assez dur, la louve grise la fait travailler depuis toute petite, la louve grise ses occuper d'elle jusqu'à son dernier soufle, depuis l'âge de 4 ans elle a pu ce débrouiller et continuer son entraînement seule et continue son chemin.

~ Liens ~

Compagnon : ?? Mère : [Morte] Père : [Mort] Frère : ?? Sœur : Luna Nièce : Maxine , Yuu Beau frère : Rei Grand père : [Mort] Grand mère : [Morte]

[ultimate-sword-showdown]

As (presumably) single-submission swords go, I'm pleasantly surprised to see how well Thunder Edge did! Considering it was competing not just with the swords it was up against in the tournament, but for Okami fans, probably also the other glaives in the games (in a "is this the best representation, or should one like Tsukuyomi/Tsumugari have been our rep since they're more story-relevant" sense), it put up one hell of a fight - I'm especially impressed with how well it held up against the Buster Sword, considering I feel like that's one of The signature Final Fantasy swords and just objectively better known. Very happy to see my submission put up a good fight against a juggernaut like that!

Yeah it did really well! Also kind of helped that it had a really cool picture I think. Makes it look cool even for non fans. I know I certainly liked it a lot even though I haven't play Okami

[shootingxstardust]

Okami Amaterasu

Origin of all that is good and mother to us all.

Name :Amaterasu, other aliases include Ammy, furball, Snowball, and Snowy. In her past life she was called Shiranui

Skills: Ink Bullets, Sunrise: (The power to summon the sun), Power Slash: (The Power to cut through objects like hard rock with the swipe of her Celestial Brush tail), Cherry Bomb: (The ability to summon large bombs), Green Sprout Bloom: (The ability to make withered trees and planted areas bloom again. She can also sprout trees from the ground) Green Sprout Water Lilly: (The Ability to summon large Lilly pads to travel across the water) Green Sprout Vine: (The ability to summon vines to pull herself to higher places.) Water Sprout: (The ability to control the flow of water and create large fountains.) Deluge: (The ability to call upon rain)  Gale Storm (The ability to summon gusts of wind, including winds sharp enough to slice foes), Inferno: (The ability to control flames), Crescent: (The ability to call upon the moon, changing day to night) Veil of Mist: (The ability to slow down time) Cat Walk: (The ability to walk on walls), Thunderstorm: (The Ability to control the flow of electricity and summon bolts of lightening) Blizzard: (The ability to freeze foes , and summon large icicles.)

Divine instruments: Holy Reflector: (Divine Retribution, Snarling Beast, Infinity Judge, Trinity Mirror, Solar Flare) Rosary Beads:( Devout Beads, Life Beads, Exorcism Beads, Resurrection Beads, Tundra Beads.) Glaive: (Tsumugari, Seven Strike, Blade of Kusanagi, Eighth Wonder, Thunder Edge.)

Bio:

After a vicious, and long battle with Orochi( an evil eight -headed serpent), alongside the warrior Nagi, Amaterasu fell to an almost dead slumber until she was revived a hundred years later. Traveling with her bouncing friend Issun, Amaterasu seeks to rid the land of Nippon of evil and the monsters who wish to plunge the world into a massive cursed zone. Using her powers she must  purify the lands to allow nature to flourish once more.

[potatodotpng]

[flushyfish]

I like to appear once every two weeks to then disappear back into the nether

The Tsumugari project is coming along though! Still little kinks to iron out in my sculpt, then going to sculpt onto the sword.

[goldensunset]

Ōkami.

Kingdom hearts.

(if I must say one thing it is. . .solar. flare. Keyblade)

oh this is BIG brain. solar flare is one of the most beautiful weapons in the game a keyblade designed after it would be absolute fire (pun fully intended)

[klauswalz]

Amaterasu + Tsumugari

[etherealsaul]

🌙 Okami Amaterasu & Tsumugari 🌙

This painting is for sale here!

★ My Etsy ★ My Patreon ★ My Ko-Fi ★

[catcall-tower]

The Four Divine Instruments of Okami Amaterasu

Divine Retribution, a reflector used to resurrect Amaterasu by the spirit of Konohana, it banishes evil with divine power and deals balanced damage to enemies in terms of both speed and damage. The reflectors are based on a sacred mirror used to lure out the Shinto goddess Amaterasu was based on when she fled into a cave after an altercation with her brother according to Shinto mythology.

Devout Beads, a rosary retrieved from the Guardian Sapling as a gift from the spirit of Konahana as thanks for restoring it, it can be used to deal quick, successive damage to demons. The rosaries are based on a necklace of curved jewels that were hung from a sacred tree alongside the mirror to lure out Amaterasu.

Tsumugari, a glaive retrieved from Orochi’s corpse after his defeat at the hands of Amaterasu and Susano, it can be used to deliver devastating charged blows to enemies. The glaives are based on the sword found in the fourth tail of Orochi in Shinto mythology after its slaying.

turnip.

[ammakou]

I see some more KnY / Demon Slayer blogs have followed me...may I direct y’all to my KnY AU? It has spoilers, so I’ll put the spoiler-free summary down right here:

Amaterasu is the sun god, long forgotten by the people of Japan. Her existence is only acknowledged in various folktales and legends, where she’s claimed to have saved Japan from monsters (demons) in ancient times. Unknown to all, Amaterasu still lives, but in the form of a white crimson-marked wolf who suffers from amnesia.

The land is now being plagued by demons again, and she innately feels she’s meant to do something about it. She isn’t too sure where to start though, but after coming across a young boy who was training under the retired Water Hashira, things start to slowly fall into place...

THINGS TO KNOW:

Ammy is essentially the reason why the Hinokami Kagura / Sun Breathing style exists. She didn’t create either or, but let’s just say it’s fate her descendant did...

Her Celestial Brush techniques don’t exist, as she being able to just use Sunrise to kill all demons would be OP. She still possesses immense purifying power, plus the ability to grow and heal plantlife (& cleanse water). She also has her Divine Instruments, but only the first / weakest of each type (Divine Retribution, Devout Beads, and Tsumugari).

This is more of an RP / Plot Wishlist idea, but I looooove the concept of Amaterasu joining Tanjiro on his quest to find Muzan. He probably views her as being a special wolf, perhaps a guardian deity watching over him and Nezuko (though other people just assume she’s his pet dog), but the poor boy doesn’t know that he actually isn’t too far off the mark there. When Zenitsu and Inosuke join the group, she too makes it her mission to keep them as safe as possible...with plenty of shenanigans ensuing along the way.

TLDR of the complete AU under the cut, but beware the spoilers!:

Demons of a blatantly more supernatural origin used to plague Japan millennia before the beginning events of KnY, but after people prayed to the sun, Amaterasu descended from the sky and slayed them all. She retreated to live a more lowkey life away from the “celebrity” status she gained, and eventually started a family with a mortal man. She gave birth to her demigod son, Oshiho.

After a very powerful demon (Tokoyami) sought Ammy out to kill her, she managed to seal him but lost her physical form because of her injuries. 5 year old Oshiho was left to be raised by his father, who ended up passing away from old age decades later. Oshiho then roamed Japan, and for 200 years, he spread folktales of the sun god’s valent deeds. Amaterasu became legend, and Oshiho was thought to be some kind of prophet of hers...for the people who believed such things of course.

Oshiho started a family of his own with a woman and passed his surname of Tsugikuni onto her - thus starting the Tsugikuni family line. Amaterasu’s blood would be passed down, resulting in their children occasionally bearing markings that appeared similar to Oshiho’s. In the far future...Yoriichi Tsugikuni & Michikatsu Tsugikuni would be born. It would be the former’s destiny to slay Muzan Kibutsuji, the first artificial demon...though of course things didn’t work out that way.

THINGS TO KNOW:

Amaterasu is Yoriichi’s ancestor (great x50 or w/e grandmother), causing him to have divine blood as a result. The first children of the Tsugikuni family being descended from the sun god is total myth, but it’s more of a mere coincidence that he created Sun Breathing & named it that.

The reason why Ammy has been reincarnated back into a physical form is due to the imbalance between heaven and Earth caused by Muzan. He and all of the murderous demons he’s created are blights, and Ammy awakening is because of nature calling her spirit back to slay them, though her amnesia is the consequence of she having died previously.

Ammy has no idea she HAS descendants (but she does faintly remember Oshiho). She somehow meeting Yoriichi could be pretty interesting...

Should Ammy ever regain her memories, she’ll gain back the ability to take on a human form.

[mrauthor3ds]

Smash musings - Amaterasu again

Neutral Attack: Three-step combo with Divine Retribution. Flurry attack fires Devout Beads in a moderate space in front. Hold attack button to hold Divine Retribution in front for a bit, reflecting projectiles and blocking one direct attack. Side Tilt Attack: Overhead swing with Divine Retribution. Up Tilt Attack: Flip slash with Tsumugari. Down Tilt Attack: Lashes Devout Beads forth low. Dash Attack: Headbutts forth. Side Smash: Swings Solar Flare forth. Reflects projectiles. Up Smash: Jabs Thunder Edge upward as it sparks out. Strongest at tip. Down Smash: Swings Tundra Beads all around self. May freeze foes.

Neutral Air Attack: Swings Divine Retribution around self. Forward Air Attack: Whips Devout Beads forth over a wide area. Back Air Attack: Jabs Divine Retribution behind self. Up Air Attack: Flip slash with Tsumugari. Down Air Attack: Diving attack with Tsumugari.

Grab: Issun lunges out to drag foe into Amaterasu's jaws. Can grab an item otherwise. Pummel: Issun slashes foe. Forward Throw: Tosses foe up and headbutts them. Back Throw: Swings foe around and behind. Up Throw: Jumps up and piledrives foe. Down Throw: Issun performs a falling slash on foe.

Neutral Special: Inferno: Hold to draw a line in any direction, and release to ignite it. If you draw an infinity symbol, you'll unleash the stronger Firestorm around Amaterasu. Side Special: Power Slash: Draws a straight line forward, which becomes a sudden slash. Hold to charge the slash's damage and shield-breaking power (Amaterasu can move around during this time). Up Special: Greensprout: On ground, this will make a tree pop up in front, which can block off foes as a wall. In the air, sends out a Konohana Blossom, which then pulls Amaterasu to it with Vine. Down Special: Cherry Bomb: Summons a large bomb in front of Amaterasu. It will explode on contact with any foe. Amaterasu can push it with her attacks. Final Smash: Great Divine Intervention: Summons a Guardian Sapling in front, catching foes in a cinematic attack where the Sapling fully blooms and sends out a wave of green.

[queer-starling]

Ah...Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all.

Personal tattoo design featuring some of my favourite weapons: Tsumugari, Devout Beads, and Divine Retribution! Please do not use and/or repost. 

[potatodotpng]

|Ko-fi|